Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at Time magazine have released their yearly “Best Inventions of the Year” list and on it is none other than our good pal Google Glass. This device was revealed in pieces throughout the year and received its very first developer-grade pre-release at this year’s Google I/O convention. Users are able to wear the glasses and see a computer interface near their eye as well as take photos with a nod – the final iteration of this device may well be released inside 2013; we’ll just have to wait and see!

With Time’s list comes a lovely new photo of what very well could be the final release version of Google Glass – aka Project Glass as it was titled back at the first general reveal. This headset computer shows a user interface in a transparent block of glass in front of the users’ left eye. Gestures with the head, turns, and movement of the eye control what happens inside the computer, the bulk of which exists above the users’ right temple and down the side of the eyeline towards the ear.

The ear also has an earpiece and speaker which will inevitably work to allow the user to make cellular voice calls and take commands – the mic is there, you just can’t see it! This unit also shows clearly that the front-facing camera will be a large element of the whole experience, both for reading the general information about the location the unit is in as well as taking photos and video.

Time’s information on Google Glass notes that, “consumers should be able to buy Google Glass by 2014.” According to the information we have on the project, the developer edition of the device will be sent out early in 2013 – perhaps some quick development from there will commence. Have a peek at the timeline below to see a collection of updates from the past few months to get up to speed – and see you soon with the final unit!

Time calls Google Glass “Best Invention of the Year” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Well, look at that. Yesterday, we caught wind of a rumored Google buyout of Viewdle, a company that specializes in facial recognition technology. The whispers yesterday said that this acquisition could be announced by the end of the week, possibly as soon as today. Sure enough, Motorola announced its acquisition of Viewdle today, sealing the deal and boosting Google’s portfolio when it comes to facial recognition.

Motorola, of course, is owned by Google, and now so is Viewdle. We don’t have to think too hard to come with a potential use for Viewdle, as Google will likely want to use its technology in Google Plus and Android. Facebook is using facial recognition technology of its own to make tagging friends in images quicker, so it stands to reason that Google will do the same thing now that it has Viewdle at its disposal.

Of course, yesterday we also mentioned the potential uses in Google Glass, so don’t be surprised if you see Viewdle playing a significant role in the development of the device moving forward. We can’t say specifically how Google would put Viewdle to work with Google Glass, but the two do seem they’d go together nicely.

In a statement today, Motorola said that it has been working with Viewdle for some time before this buyout, so the folks at Viewdle will be no stranger to Google. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but yesterday we were told that Google is paying somewhere in between $30 to $45 million dollars to acquire Viewdle. We hope to hear more about this acquisition and Google’s plans for Viewdle soon, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more information.

Motorola Mobility announces Viewdle acquisition is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There’s tons of extra cameras and colorful chairs hanging around Google‘s Headquarters in California. That’s because it’s the set of what is surely going to be an awesome new movie — or a giant commercial for Google. The epic duo of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson from Wedding Crashers are back, this time for a new movie called “The Internship.”

If you didn’t like Wedding Crashers then I don’t know what to tell you, because it was awesome. The duo are at it again shooting a new movie that while mostly was shot off of Google’s lawn, recently they’ve been right at the HQ having some fun. Since they couldn’t give up their entire office for months and months, the movies been shot at Georgia Tech, and bits and pieces at Google’s HQ. Awesome right?

That isn’t all either. We’re expecting tons of Googlers themselves to star as extras in the film. Those include Co-founder Sergery Brin, and top dogs like Hugo Barra, and more. This might not be quite like “The Social Network” but I’m betting it’ll be pretty awesome. Isn’t everything that Google does awesome? For more details you’ll surely want to check out this short video clip starring my man from Swingers, Vince Vaughn himself:

While Bloomberg reported that Google doesn’t have any financials involved with the movie, you have to wonder a bit with so many big hitters on the ground. Apparently Eric Schmidt interviewed Vince Vaughn for an employee talk (which should be online soon) and even Sergey Brin hosted a dinner and what surely was a fun party at his property in California for much of the movie crew. Here’s what Google had to say about the film:

We’re excited that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson chose the Google campus as a backdrop for their first film together since ‘Wedding Crashers.’ We’re sure they’ll have a humorous take on life in Silicon Valley and look forward to seeing the result.”

So more on Google. Sergey Brin’s special Google Project X toys will apparently be making a few cameos during the film too. We are expecting to see Google Glass (which we’re excited about here) as well as Google’s Driver-less cars and more. Vaughn states he wrote the script without a major company in mind but after meeting a few from Google, decided to take that approach. Good stuff. I can’t wait to see it!

[via AllthingsD]

Google HQ opens for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s movie crew is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Project Glass has already given adrenaline junkies a POV view of a skydiver’s freefall, and now Google’s giving fashionistas a similar rush with a new film about New York Fashion Week. It was shot entirely with Glass by various folks at the DVB show, including Diane von Furstenberg herself, who also provided the video’s narration. Looking for a pre-show pep talk from one of the fashion industry’s true titans and some behind the scenes footage of runway beauties? Perhaps you just wanna know what it’s like to stroll the catwalk and be bathed in the flashbulbs of hundreds of paparazzi? Your bliss awaits in the four minute clip after the break.

Continue reading Google Glass shows how Diane von Furstenberg is living, what it’s like at New York Fashion Week (video)

Filed under: Wearables

Google Glass shows how Diane von Furstenberg is living, what it’s like at New York Fashion Week (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s time again to see what Google’s Project Glass creators are up to, this time with them showing off their abilities at Fashion Week with a 3.5 minute video shot entirely with the device. This device is indeed called “Glass” as it has been for some weeks, appearing recently also at Google I/O 2012 in an amazingly daring live skydive video feed – such a fabulous experience it was! This week they’ve teamed up with the folks at the DVF Spring 2013 show at New York Fashion Week – see what they saw now!

This footage you’re about to see was, again, filmed entirely with the current iteration of Google Glass. That is to say that it’s not exactly what you’ll be getting when the Google Glass glasses come to the market, but judging by what we’re seeing here, impressive things are certainly ahead!

Google included the following “official” text to go along with this project that you’ll want to read as well. Note how Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) has gratefully brought Google aboard for the journey that not many average citizens are allowed to see!

“Celebrated fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg tried on Glass for the first time a few months ago at a conference that she attended with Sergey Brin. She immediately loved it and they agreed to bring Glass to New York Fashion Week. Diane is a champion for innovation and effortless design, so it’s unsurprising that Glass fit seamlessly into her production. In the week leading up to her Spring 2013 show in New York, and during the show itself, everyone from stylists and models to Diane herself used Glass to capture never-before-seen footage of the creative process. This is the first time any video has been shot entirely through Glass and we’re so excited to be able to share it with you.”

This project, you should note, has been confirmed by both DVF and Google to have been an “organic decision” rather than a sponsorship – they’ve made double-clear, in fact, that it’s not a sponsorship in any way. They’ve also noted that, somehow or another, the colors of the test Glass units matched the DVF collection perfectly even though they did not plan for it – and they didn’t change the colors based on the line, either!

Let us know if you’re into all this fashion stuff while we’re at it – last time we got anywhere near this kind of couture was when HP had us speaking with Project Runway’s Anya Ayong Chee – winner of Season 9, OMG!

Google shows first 100% Glass-shot video demo is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.